Control apparatus, vehicle, non-transitory computer readable medium, and control method

ABSTRACT

A control apparatus is communicably connected to a vehicle and a user terminal, the control apparatus including a controller configured to: in response to a service request from the user terminal, determine at least a service content, a provision time, and a provision location; identify a vehicle capable of performing the service content; cause the vehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle by the provision time; and cause the vehicle to move to the provision location by the provision time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-135358, filed on Aug. 7, 2020, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a control apparatus, a vehicle, aprogram, and a control method.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, there has been known technology for dispatching avehicle including an indoor space available for a user's privateapplication according to demand (for example, Patent Document [PTL] 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   PTL 1: JP 2019-075047 A

SUMMARY

PTL 1 assumes that a user boards the vehicle that has arrived and usesthe space to do the work. The vehicle does not do the work on behalf ofthe user.

It would be helpful to provide a control apparatus, a vehicle, aprogram, and a control method, which are capable doing work requested bya user on behalf of the user, to thereby improve convenience for theuser.

A control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosureis a control apparatus that is communicably connected to a vehicle and auser terminal, the control apparatus including a controller configuredto:

in response to a service request from the user terminal, determine atleast a service content, a provision time, and a provision location;

identify a vehicle capable of performing the service content;

cause the vehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle bythe provision time; and

cause the vehicle to move to the provision location by the provisiontime.

A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure isconfigured to cause a computer as a control apparatus that iscommunicably connected to a vehicle and a user terminal, to executeoperations including:

in response to a service request from the user terminal, determining atleast a service content, a provision time, and a provision location;

identifying a vehicle capable of performing the service content;

causing the vehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle bythe provision time; and

causing the vehicle to move to the provision location by the provisiontime.

A control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure isa control method by a control apparatus that is communicably connectedto a vehicle and a user terminal, the control method including:

in response to a service request from the user terminal, determining atleast a service content, a provision time, and a provision location;

identifying a vehicle capable of performing the service content;

causing the vehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle bythe provision time; and

causing the vehicle to move to the provision location by the provisiontime.

A control apparatus, a vehicle, a program, and a control methodaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure are capable ofdoing work requested by a user on behalf of the user, to thereby improveconvenience for the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controlapparatus;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a userterminal;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a request database(DB);

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a vehicle DB;

FIG. 7 a diagram illustrating an inside of a vehicle;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of the control apparatus;and

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a schedule DB.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system Saccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The informationprocessing system S includes a control apparatus 1, a vehicle 2, and auser terminal 3, which are communicably connected to one another. FIG. 1illustrates one each of the control apparatus 1, the vehicle 2, and theuser terminal 3 for convenience of explanation. However, the number ofthe control apparatus 1, the number of the vehicle 2, and the number ofthe user terminal 3 are not limited to one each. The control apparatus1, the vehicle 2, and the user terminal 3 are connected via a network NWincluding, for example, a mobile communication network and the Internet.

The control apparatus 1 may be a server configured to assist a vehicledispatch service provider in providing the service. The controlapparatus 1 may be, for example, installed in a facility dedicated to avehicle dispatch provider or in a shared facility including a datacenter. The control apparatus 1 transmits an instruction to the vehicle2, to thereby control the vehicle 2. Alternatively, the controlapparatus 1 may be mounted in the vehicle 2.

The vehicle 2 includes, for example, any type of automobile such as agasoline vehicle, a diesel vehicle, an HV, a PHV, an EV, or an FCV. Theterm “HV” is an abbreviation of Hybrid Vehicle. The term “PHV” is anabbreviation of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle. The term “EV” is an abbreviationof Electric Vehicle. The term “FCV” is an abbreviation of Fuel CellVehicle. The driving of the vehicle 2 is automated at any level in thepresent embodiment; however, the vehicle 2 may be driven by a driver inanother embodiment. The level of automation is, for example, one ofLevel 1 to Level 5 in the level classification defined of the SAE. Thename “SAE” is an abbreviation of Society of Automotive Engineers. Thevehicle 2 may be a MaaS-dedicated vehicle. The term “MaaS” is anabbreviation of Mobility as a Service.

The user terminal 3 is a terminal possessed by a user. The user terminal3 may be, for example, a mobile device including a mobile phone, asmartphone, or a tablet.

An outline of processing to be executed by the control apparatus 1according to the present embodiment will be described. By way ofexample, the present embodiment assumes a situation in which a user onthe road has realized having forgotten to bring something such as adocument, and requests from the vehicle 2 a service of printing anddelivering of the document. Specifically, in response to a servicerequest from the user terminal 3, the control apparatus 1 determines atleast a service content, a provision time, and a provision location. Thecontrol apparatus 1 identifies a vehicle 2 capable of performing theservice content, and controls the vehicle 2 to perform the servicecontent inside the vehicle 2 by the provision time. Further, the controlapparatus 1 controls the vehicle 2 to move to the provision location bythe provision time. This configuration enables the control apparatus 1to cause the vehicle 2 to perform the service content requested by theuser on behalf of the user, to thereby reduce such burden as a workloador a moving load to be imposed on the user and thus improve convenience.

With reference to FIG. 2, an internal configuration of the controlapparatus 1 will be described in detail.

The control apparatus 1 includes a controller 11, a communicationinterface 12, and a memory 13. The components of the control apparatus 1are communicably connected to one another via, for example, dedicatedlines.

The controller 11 includes, for example, at least one general purposeprocessor including a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a MicroProcessing Unit (MPU). The controller 11 may include at least onededicated processor that is dedicated to specific processing. Thecontroller 11 may include at least one dedicated circuit instead of aprocessor. Examples of the dedicated circuit may include aField-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC).

The communication interface 12 includes at least one communicationmodule for connecting to the network NW, the communication module beingcompliant with wired or wireless local area network (LAN) standard. Thecommunication interface 12 may include at least one module compliantwith a mobile communication standard including the 4th Generation (4G)standard or the 5th Generation (5G) standard. The communicationinterface 12 may include at least one communication module or the likecompliant with a short-range wireless communication standard orspecification, including Bluetooth® (Bluetooth is a registered trademarkin Japan, other countries, or both), AirDrop® (AirDrop is a registeredtrademark in Japan, other countries, or both), IrDA, ZigBee® (ZigBee isa registered trademark in Japan, other countries, or both), Felica®(Felica is a registered trademark in Japan, other countries, or both),or RFID. The communication interface 12 is configured to transmit andreceive any information via the network NW. This information includes,for example, positional information acquired through Global PositioningSystem (GPS).

The memory 13 is, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magneticmemory, or an optical memory, but is not limited thereto. The memory 13may function as, for example, a main memory, an auxiliary memory, or acache memory. The memory 13 may store information resulting fromanalysis or processing performed by the controller 11. The memory 13 maystore various types of information or the like related to the operationsor control of the control apparatus 1. The memory 13 may store a systemprogram, an application program, embedded software, or the like. Thememory 13 includes a request DB, a schedule DB, and a vehicle DB.Alternatively, the request DB, the schedule DB and the vehicle DB may bestored in a storage device external to the control apparatus 1 andaccessed by the control apparatus 1.

With reference to FIG. 3, an internal configuration of the vehicle 2will be described in detail.

The vehicle 2 includes a controller 21, a communication interface 22, amemory 23, a display 24, and a printer 25. The components of the vehicle2 are communicably connected to one another via, for example, adedicated line.

In the present embodiment, the hardware configurations of the controller21, the communication interface 22, and the memory 23 are the same asthe hardware configurations of the controller 11, the communicationinterface 12, and the memory 13 of the control apparatus 1. Therefore, adescription thereof is omitted here.

The display 24 is an interface for display, and includes, for example, apanel display. The display 24 may display information read out from thememory 23, or information generated by the controller 21.

The printer 25 is a device for use in printing. The printer 25 cantwo-dimensionally print a symbol, a letter, or the like on paper.Alternatively, the printer 25 may be a so-called 3D printer forthree-dimensionally shaping a solid body.

With reference to FIG. 4, an internal configuration of the user terminal3 will be described in detail.

The user terminal 3 includes a controller 31, a communication interface32, a memory 33, a display 34, and an input interface 35. The componentsof the user terminal 3 are communicably connected to one another, forexample, via a dedicated line.

The hardware configurations of the controller 31, the communicationinterface 32, the memory 33, and the display 34 are the same as thehardware configurations of the controller 21, the communicationinterface 22, the memory 23, and the display 24 of the vehicle 2.Therefore, a description thereof is omitted here.

The input interface 35 includes one or more interfaces for input thatdetect a user input and send input information to the controller 31.Examples of the interface for input may include, but are not limited to,a physical key, a capacitive key, a touch screen integrally provided inthe panel display, a microphone configured to receive audio input, andan IC card reader.

Hereinafter, processing to be executed in the information processingsystem S according to the present embodiment will be described indetail. A situation will be described herein, by way of example, inwhich a user, who is on the way to the office, has realized havingforgotten to bring a document.

The user operates the user terminal 3 to input service information inorder to have the document printed and delivered. The serviceinformation includes information on a service content, a provision time,and a provision location. The service content is the content of theservice desired by the user. The provision time is the time by which theservice is provided. The provision location is the location where aservice is provided. Upon receiving the input of the serviceinformation, the user terminal 3 transmits a service request includingthe service information to the control apparatus 1.

Upon receiving the service request, the control apparatus 1 stores theservice information in the request DB in the memory 13, as illustratedin FIG. 5. Here, the service content is printing of a document. Theprovision time is 9:00 on April 1. The provision location is an office.That is, it is required that printing of a document be performed insidethe vehicle 2 and the document be delivered to the office by 9:00 onApril 1. The control apparatus 1 determines each content of the serviceinformation, based on the request DB.

The control apparatus 1 identifies a vehicle 2 capable of performing thedetermined service content. Specifically, the control apparatus 1 refersto the vehicle DB of FIG. 6 to identify a vehicle capable of performingprinting of a document. In the vehicle DB, service contents are eachstored in association with each of one or more vehicles that can performthe service content. Here, a vehicle with the vehicle ID of V01 isidentified as the vehicle 2 capable of performing the “printing of adocument”, which is the service content input by the user terminal 3.

The control apparatus 1 controls the vehicle 2 to perform the servicecontent inside the vehicle 2 by the provision time. Here, as illustratedin FIG. 7, the vehicle 2 includes the printer 25. The vehicle 2 receivesdata of the document from the user through an arbitrary procedure andprints the document using the printer 25.

The control apparatus 1 further controls the vehicle 2 to move to theprovision location by the provision time.

The vehicle 2 arrives at the provision location by the provision time,carrying the printed document. The vehicle 2 notifies the arrival withthe printed document to the user, using voice or using a screen displayon the display 24. Alternatively, the control apparatus 1 may inform theuser terminal 3 that the vehicle 2 has arrived, carrying the printeddocument. The user receives a document from the vehicle 2. The user canobtain the document, without needing to return to pick up the documentthe user forgot.

With reference to FIG. 8, a control method by the control apparatus 1will be described.

In Step S1, the control apparatus 1 receives a service request from theuser terminal 3. By way of example, the service request may include atleast information on the service content, the provision time, and theprovision location.

In Step S2, the control apparatus 1 determines the service content, theprovision time, and the provision location, based on the servicerequest.

In Step S3, the control apparatus 1 identifies a vehicle 2 capable ofperforming the service content.

In Step S4, the control apparatus 1 controls the vehicle 2 to performthe service content inside the vehicle 2 by the provision time.

In Step S5, the control apparatus 1 controls the vehicle 2 to move tothe provision location by the provision time. The order of executingSteps S4 and S5 may be reversed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a controlapparatus 1 identifies a vehicle 2 capable of performing servicecontent, and controls the vehicle 2 to perform the service contentinside the vehicle 2 by a provision time. Further, the control apparatus1 controls the vehicle 2 to move to a provision location by theproviding time. This configuration, the control apparatus 1 can causethe vehicle 2 to perform the service content requested by the user, onbehalf of the user. In this manner, the control apparatus 1 can reduce aworkload to be imposed on the user and a moving load or the like to begenerated when the user returns to pick up things that the user forgot,to thereby improve convenience.

According to the present embodiment, the service content includescreating an article inside the vehicle 2 according to the destination ofthe user. This configuration enables the control apparatus 1 todetermine an article to be needed by the user and create the article, tothereby further reduce the workload and the moving load to be imposed onthe user.

According to the present embodiment, the service content includescreating an article inside the vehicle 2 according to the destinationand the need of the user. This configuration enables the controlapparatus 1 to further accurately determine an article to be needed bythe user and create the article, to thereby reduce the workload and themoving load to be imposed on the user.

According to the present embodiment, the vehicle 2 includes a 3Dprinter. The control apparatus 1 controls the vehicle 2 to perform theservice content by using the 3D printer. This configuration enables thecontrol apparatus 1 to create a three-dimensional article, to therebyfurther reduce the workload and the moving load to be imposed on theuser.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to thedrawings and examples, it should be noted that various modifications andrevisions can be implemented by those skilled in the art based on thepresent disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications and revisions areincluded within the scope of the present disclosure. For example,functions or the like included in each each step can be rearrangedwithout logical inconsistency, and a plurality of steps can be combinedinto one or divided.

For example, in the aforementioned embodiment, a program that executesall or some of the functions or processing of the control apparatus 1can be recorded on a computer readable recording medium. The computerreadable recording medium includes a non-transitory computer readablemedium, and may be a magnetic recording device, an optical disc, amagneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor memory. Thedistribution of the program is performed by, for example, sale,transfer, or rental of a portable recording medium such as a DigitalVersatile Disc (DVD) or a Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) onwhich the program is recorded. The program may also be distributed bystoring the program in a storage of any server and transmitting theprogram from any server to another computer. The program may also beprovided as a program product. The present disclosure can also berealized as a program that can be executed by a processor.

In the aforementioned example, the user terminal 3 transmits a servicerequest including information on the service content, the provisiontime, and the provision location to the control apparatus 1. The controlapparatus 1 determines the service content, the provision time, and theprovision location, based on the service information. Alternatively,however, the user terminal 3 transmits a service request that does notinclude information on the service content, the provision time, and theprovision location, to the control apparatus 1. Upon receiving theservice request, the control apparatus 1 reads the information on thedestination, the need, and the time slot stored in association with theuser ID, from the schedule DB (see FIG. 9) in the memory 13. Thedestination is a place that the user is to visit. The need is anactivity that the user needs to do at the destination. The time slot isa time slot during which the user stays at the destination. The controlapparatus 1 may determine the service content, the provision time, andthe provision location, based on the information read from the scheduleDB.

For example, as a first alternative example, the control apparatus 1identifies, for the user U01, that the destination is a beach. Based onthe result of identification, the control apparatus 1 uses machinelearning or the like, to determine that a pair of sunglasses is thearticle according to the destination. Alternatively, the controlapparatus 1 may determine an article by referring to a storage device inwhich the destination and the article are stored in association witheach other.

Upon determining that a pair of sunglasses is the article according tothe destination, the control apparatus 1 determines that the servicecontent is creation of a pair of sunglasses. The printer 25 may be a 3Dprinter. The vehicle 2 creates a pair of sunglasses using the 3Dprinter. Any manufacturing device may be used instead of the 3D printer.Upon identifying that the time slot is 10:00 to 15:00 on May 1, thecontrol apparatus 1 determines that the provision time is 10:00 onMay 1. When the control apparatus 1 identifies that the destination is abeach, the control apparatus 1 determines that the provision location isthe beach. Subsequent processing is the same as in the aforementionedexample, and therefore a description thereof is omitted here.

As a second alternative example, the control apparatus 1 identifies, forthe user U02 of FIG. 9, that the destination is a manufacturing facilityand that the need is a repair. Based on the result of identification,the control apparatus 1 uses machine learning or the like to determinethat a specific component to be used in the manufacturing facility isthe article according to the destination. Upon determining that aspecific component is the article according to the destination, thecontrol apparatus 1 determines that the service content is creation ofthe specific component. The method of determining the provision time andthe provision location in the second alternative example is the same asthe method in the aforementioned first alternative example. Therefore, adescription thereof is omitted here. The vehicle 2 creates the componentusing the 3D printer. Subsequent processing is the same as in theaforementioned examples, and therefore a description thereof is omittedhere.

1. A control apparatus that is communicably connected to a vehicle and auser terminal, the control apparatus comprising a controller configuredto: in response to a service request from the user terminal, determineat least a service content, a provision time, and a provision location;identify a vehicle capable of performing the service content; cause thevehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle by theprovision time; and cause the vehicle to move to the provision locationby the provision time.
 2. The control apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the controller determines at least the service content, theprovision time, and the provision location in response to the servicerequest, based on information on at least one of a destination and aneed of a user of the user terminal in response to the service request.3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the servicecontent includes creating an article inside the vehicle according to thedestination of the user.
 4. The control apparatus according to claim 3,wherein the destination includes a beach and the article includes a pairof sunglasses.
 5. The control apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe service content includes creating an article inside the vehicleaccording to the destination and the need of the user.
 6. The controlleraccording to claim 5, wherein the destination includes a manufacturingfacility, the need includes a repair, and the article includes aspecific component to be used in the manufacturing facility.
 7. Thecontrol apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a3D printer, and the controller is configured to cause the vehicle toperform the service content using the 3D printer.
 8. A vehicle havingthe control apparatus according to claim 1 mounted therein.
 9. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing a program configured tocause a computer as a control apparatus that is communicably connectedto a vehicle and a user terminal, to execute operations comprising: inresponse to a service request from the user terminal, determining atleast a service content, a provision time, and a provision location;identifying a vehicle capable of performing the service content; causingthe vehicle to perform the service content inside the vehicle by theprovision time; and causing the vehicle to move to the provisionlocation by the provision time.
 10. The non-transitory computer readablemedium according to claim 9, wherein the determining of at least theservice content, the provision time, and the provision location inresponse to the service request includes determining the servicecontent, the provision time, and the provision location in response tothe service request, based on information on at least one of adestination and a need of a user of the user terminal.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, whereinthe service content includes creating an article inside the vehicleaccording to the destination of the user.
 12. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the destinationincludes a beach and the article includes a pair of sunglasses.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, whereinthe service content includes creating an article inside the vehicleaccording to the destination and the need of the user.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, whereinthe destination includes a manufacturing facility, the need includes arepair, and the article includes a specific component to be used in themanufacturing facility.
 15. A control method by a control apparatus thatis communicably connected to a vehicle and a user terminal, the controlmethod comprising: in response to a service request from the userterminal, determining at least a service content, a provision time, anda provision location; identifying a vehicle capable of performing theservice content; causing the vehicle to perform the service contentinside the vehicle by the provision time; and causing the vehicle tomove to the provision location by the provision time.
 16. The controlmethod according to claim 15, wherein the determining of at least theservice content, the provision time, and the provision location inresponse to the service request includes determining the servicecontent, the provision time, and the provision location in response tothe service request, based on information on at least one of adestination and a need of a user of the user terminal.
 17. The controlmethod according to claim 16, wherein the service content includescreating an article inside the vehicle according to the destination ofthe user.
 18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein thedestination includes a beach and the article includes a pair ofsunglasses.
 19. The control method according to claim 16, wherein theservice content includes creating an article inside the vehicleaccording to the destination and the need of the user.
 20. The controlmethod according to claim 19, wherein the destination includes amanufacturing facility, the need includes a repair, and the articleincludes a specific component to be used in the manufacturing facility.